Some of you may have caught my Twitter rant a while ago about office cake culture (I originally wrote this blog back then). If you don't have any dietary restrictions you might be rolling your eyes right now. But think: how many times has a colleague walked around the office and placed a slice of cake on everyone's desk or someone has brought in exactly the right amount of donuts for every person? Or booked the Christmas night out and not asked if anyone has dietary restrictions? 

If you don't have a diet that is restricted, these things have probably went over your head. But in every single office I have ever worked (yes, every god damn one) I've either been made to feel awkward when I received birthday cake I couldn't eat, sat hungry in business conferences or been asked by a manager why I wasn't more enthusiastic about the office version of the Great British Bake Off.

It's not just as simple as speaking up and plainly stating why you won't eat cake (or whatever food people are dishing up). I prefer to keep my veganism (and all other political and moral opinions) out the office. It's not just veganism though. The list of reasons why someone might omit certain foods is endless: religion, diabetes, IBS, eating disorder recovery, allergies, celiac disease, high cholesterol, kidney disease, gout, and heart disease are just a few. Some of these reasons are understandably not something someone would like to discuss in the office, and shouldn't be forced to.

So that's why I've compiled a list of thing you can do to 1) consider that some people do have a restricted diet and 2) to do so in a way that respects their privacy and doesn't force them to have a conversation they'd rather not have with their colleagues. 

1. Take a head count before you pop out for donuts

Or cupcakes. Or bacon rolls. Don't come into the office and get butthurt when you realise you spent excess money because you put the "Ass Out of You and Me" into assume.

If you want to buy your colleagues a mid-day snack, make sure they actually want it. 

2. No means no

If someone politely declines food don't say "are you sure?", "oh, are you being good?" or - the worst - "well, I'm cutting you a slice anyway". Be polite and move onto the next person. 

No means no in literally every situation on the planet. No is a good word. 

3. Don't buy a birthday cake unless you know what you're doing

That birthday cake I mentioned earlier? It was my 26th birthday and my colleagues had bought me a cake that was labelled as vegetarian. They told me they weren't 100% sure I could eat it but they had seen me eat cake before so assumed it was okay (they had in fact seen me eat vegan cake). I ended up giving the cake to the guy I was seeing at the time, and I have no idea if he even ate it.  

I appreciate that they did try, but I would have preferred to get a non-food related gift with the money they collected. I think most other people with dietary restrictions would as well. Only buy someone a cake if you are certain you can get it right. 

4. Ask for dietary requirements when booking team dinners

The Christmas dinner in my first graduate job was originally going to be at a seafood restaurant. I decided I'd let other people have fun and I'd sit it out...until I found out the owners considered it mandatory to attend (that's another wtf all in itself). I then sheepishly said that I didn't eat meat. Thankfully they changed it because no one wanted to go to a seafood restaurant anyway. But if you thought that was the end of the drama, it wasn't. I had to repeat myself every goddamn year. 

Before booking anything, e-mail round asking if anyone has any dietary requirements or preferences. If someone does, goddamn respect it. I also live in Glasgow, where there are plenty of restaurants that cater to both meat-eaters and vegans, so there are no excuses. 

5. Realise that allergies can actually be deadly
There's a persistent rumour that an allergic reaction involves nothing more than a bad stomach and that a day in bed will fix it.

*head desk*

Allergies can be lethal. If someone in your team has a severe allergy that means it might potentially be life threatening. Actually understand that, and understand it some more. Allergies can kill.

I don't have an allergy, so can't give much more insight. But don't be that person who eats peanut butter sandwiches at their desk when they know the person right beside them is deathly allergic.  

6. Consider social events that don't centre around food
Why does it have to be a team dinner? There are some dietary restrictions that prevent people from ever going near a restaurant. If someone in your team falls into this category be a star and think of something that doesn't involve food. Paintballing? Football trip? Marathon? Day at the fun fayre? Seaside day trip? Picnic? Pub Quiz? Roller skating disco?

7. Don't assume an employee is disengaged if they don't partake
Sometimes a dietary requirement does prevent someone from partaking in work events, whether it's a conference, social event or trip away. Myself and others with dietary requirements do worry that we might get passed up for promotions or horizontal development because we're assumed to be disengaged. When in reality it's our dietary requirements not being respected (either by the company or wider society).

8. Don't pry
I prefer not to talk about my reasons for being vegan in an office. I would just rather everyone left it as "Morag is vegan and doesn't eat cheese". I don't want to end up in an argument with someone about the ethics of the dairy industry, or explain how I get my protein.

Usually these conversations involve me responding with three word answers and squirming in my chair. I'm clearly uncomfortable discussing this. Please use some emotional intelligence and recognise my desire to change the subject.

If someone always turns down cake, it's not your business why.

If you're someone with dietary issues, what's something you wish your colleagues understood? 

My relationship with surprise subscription boxes has been a bit on-off. I was subscribed to Petit Vour and Glossybox waaayyy back in the day, and I'll admit now I was only doing it cause I was a new blogger and I thought it would help me blend in with the cool kids. 

I did enjoy receiving them but I ultimately unsubscribed because there was always something in the box that I had no interest in (I actually still have a few products floating around my bathroom cabinet that originated from the 2011 boxes). Yes, these boxes might be great value overall in terms of price but I'd much rather spend money on something I'd definitely use, even if it was a higher purchase price. 

And then I went cruelty-free in in 2012 so even if I wanted to subscribe to a beauty or food box I'd have very few options. One option I do have is Vegan Tuck Box, a UK based subscription box that specialises in vegan snacks to keep you going throughout the day. 

They offer two different boxes: the Vegan Variety Box (with 5-8 snacks) and the Vegan Ultimate Box (10-13 snacks) the second of which they recently sent me to review. Will this leave me sold on the idea of subscription boxes? Let's have a look. 

The first thing that struck me as soon as I opened the box was how much food there was in it. Like, I was aware that there would be a double-digit amount of snacks but the box was almost stuffed to the brim (and getting a neat picture of it all wan't easier). 

On second glance the next thing to please me was the variety of snacks. I usually get weird looks when I share this but *drum roll* I don't like chocolate. I'm a savoury girl through and through, who will take a pastry/crisps/decent sandwich any day over chocolate or even cake (every year I ask for a birthday burrito and no one buys me one?). In my particular box there was chocolate but I also found Bombay crisps, coconut pecks, morning tea and even some vegan Parmesan (is this a snack? I don't really care because vegan Parmesan). That's definitely enough to keep my savoury tooth happy. 

As some of you may know I very recently returned from a work trip to Kenya. When I was first asked if I wanted to go I squeamishly said yes because the question I was thinking was exactly the same question I typed into Google later that day: "can you be vegan in Kenya?". Turns out the answer I got wasn't what I wanted, so in the suitcase the snacks went. 

Turns out Kenya was not quite as bad as I assumed....vegetarian and vegan food is a bit repetitive and the V symbol isn't used, but you can do it. Saying that I was still glad to have a few badboys in my bag. My favourite was definitely the Hoots Smoked Bacon - salty and savoury at the same time which is totally my kind of snack. Next up I really liked the Inspiral Salted Caramel Coconut Pecks, which I was a bit surprised to find I liked and I think they would be really nice sprinkled on top of a cupcake rather than eaten by themselves. I also really liked the Ten Acre Bombay Spicy Crisps and I am fully aware that curry flavoured crisps are not to everyone's liking but they're totally to mine so there. 

And I loved the vegan Parmesan, but obviously I didn't take that to Kenya because that would be weird...

Has Vegan Tuck Box ignited a passion in me for subscription boxes? Well, no - but thankfully they have worked people like me (who want good snacks but don't necessarily want to subscribe to a surprise box every month and risk having a cupboard overflown with stuff they don't want) into their business plan in the form of single issue boxes. There's seven styles of single issue boxes (one of them is a savoury themed box too!) that range in price from £5 to £18.50. While I doubt I'd sign up for a box every month, if I find myself travelling again (especially in a country that's a little more difficult to explore with my dietary requirements) I will definitely pop in an order. 

What's your take on subscription boxes? 

They say you learn something new everyday, and today (or, more accurately, when I wrote this post) I learned that I maybe didn't have to give up one of my favourite foods when I stopped eating meat. 

If the title of this post is anything to go by then you'll probably have guessed that the food in question is mussels. Seafood on the whole was one of my favourite food groups back in the day - give me a tuna sandwich (with a wee bit of sweetcorn) for lunch any day of the week and the cheap Tesco muscles were always sneaking about my fridge somewhere. Fish was the last type of meat I gave up prior to my transition and I'll be honest: I miss it. 

So gastro-reminiscing aside: wtf about mussels being vegan? Technically (maybe?), they are an animal and they do taste fleshy. So obviously if you don't eat meat for taste reasons then you could probably exit the conversation right now. HOWEVER, if you're a vegetarian or vegan who's reason is either an aversion to eating sentiment beings or because meat-farming is killing the planet, then we all need to sit down for a pow-wow.

Now, my research and knowledge on this topic is based on about, uh, three hours of Googling so I'd advise you carry out some of your own. Basically, the concept that mussels (and scallops and oysters too) could be vegan suitable came up in a vegan Facebook group, and the comments took off as apparently the internet has things to say about this. However, the jury seems very open on this issue and it doesn't look like there's going to be an official line drawn any time soon. 

So what are the arguments?

1. There's little evidence that mussels (and oysters and scallops) are sentient beings

While not a plant, scientific evidence leans more to suggesting (important word) that mussels react to threats similarly to plants. They don't scream out in the pain but they do react to the world around them. Mussels can close their shells to protect themselves, in the same vein that plants close up to protect themselves from gases. 

2. Mussel farming is sustainable

While there is a lot of scientific evidence to suggest that cutting meat from your diet is a sure-fire way to help get the health of the planet back on track, mussel-farming is meant to be a positive thing. A lot of the mussels that are available to buy (there are numerous kinds, and only some are suitable for human consumption) are farmed on ropes; not dug up from the seabed. 

Also, seafood is notorious for by-kills - such as dolphins caught in nets meant for tuna. Because mussels are raised in-shore and on ropes, it's very difficult to accidentally capture another creature from from the water while fishing. 

3. They're still technically an animal

For vegans who refuse to eat mussels, this is the main argument. And y'all I get it. Maybe mussels don't feel pain in the same way a cow does but they're still part of the animal kingdom and vegans should leave them the hell alone. 

So am I going to start eating mussels? 

Well, no. Despite having been one of my favourite foods back in the day (my mouth has been salivating writing this post) I'm not going to head to the shops and bulk-buy. While I think this is an issue that is 100% up to the individual and I would hold no judgement, I'm deciding against it for myself. And it's because it could be a slippery slope. I'm not exaggerating when I say I loved seafood and ripping into a packet of mussels could result in re-developing a taste for other sea-life (that are definitely out the question for any vegan!).

As I mentioned, I'm not a scientist (I have Standard Grade Biology....which I tried to get out of doing because I'm an arty-farty person) but if you want to read more from people who understand oxygen compounds or whatnot (is that a thing?) then here's a few links because this issue has been going on longer than my own personal decision to stop eating meat:
- The ethical case for eating mussels and oysters
- Consider the oyster
- Are oysters vegan? 
- Are we strong enough to talk about mussels?
- Why some vegans are okay with eating oysters
- Are Bivalves Vegan? Specifically Oysters and Mussels?
- Vegans shouldn't eat oysters, and if you do you're not vegan, so...
- Did you seafood feel pain?
- Do oysters feel pain? 
- Mussels: your go to sustainable seafood

1) How long have you been on your cruelty free journey?

I went cruelty-free just over three years ago. I had been a vegetarian a year before that and I began experimenting with veganism at the same time. I have been vegan for just over one year, and I am currently getting my head around cruelty-free cleaning products. 

2) What made you decide to go cruelty free?

By accident (I believe it was on Twitter) I stumbled upon Louise's blog where I was introduced to cruelty-free cosmetics. Don't get me wrong, I was always firmly against testing lipstick on a bunny but I didn't realise just how common it still was! I began to use her brand list to phase out products and two months later I made the full commitment to boycotting animal testing cosmetics. 

3) What has been the hardest product to find a cruelty free dupe for?

Not a specific product, but I find finding really good hair removal products (whether waxing, shaving or cream) to be a pain. I'm still shaving with a razor and a cheap conditioner in place of shaving foam! 

4) What's the best cruelty free dupe you've found?

I only began to get really into beauty about a year before I went cruelty-free so I didn't really have that many 'holy grail' products. It's probably since going cruelty-free that I've become more brand loyal which is probably just extension of that fact that I'm now more into beauty products in general. 

5) What product or brand do you wish was cruelty free?

It's the eventual goal that all brands in the world will be cruelty-free. However a brand I really really really miss is Benefit Cosmetics. Still haven't found a dupe for that Erase Paste! 

6) What's your holy grail cruelty free brand?

I'm going to be a big massive blogger cliché and say that Lush is my holy grail cruelty-free brand. I lack any imagination. But in seriousness their products are great and easily available on the high street. 

7) Name one cruelty free brand we might not have heard of?

I've mentioned them a few times on my blog but the smallest brand I use is the Aromatree Company. They make one of my favourite foot creams. 

8) Are you a vegan? If so, for how long and have you had any struggles? If not, why not?

I went 100% vegan a year ago, but it had been a long time coming. I started to experiment with it in 2012 when I was still in Dundee. But when I began experimenting with soya cheeses and tofu is became quite apparent that it was likely I had a soya intolerance, which lowed the process down. I also moved back to my parents house in Aberdeenshire then onto Glasgow, which meant having to find new shops to find vegan foods. I occasionally find struggles when eating out and buying vegan non-food items but otherwise it's natural now.  

9) What's your favourite local vegan friendly venue?

I live in one of the most vegan friendly cities in the UK but I actually love the options that the chain restaurants are creating more so than any independent place. The pizza at Pizza Express and the options at Las Iguanas are both delicious. 

10) You have 30 seconds to convert someone to a cruelty free lifestyle - what would you say to them?

I find that most people are against cosmetics testing but just aren't convinced that one person boycotting actually works. I'd remind them of the ripple effect and that if enough people boycott it can work - also look at the consumer pressure that made Urban Decay back-track on their decision to enter China. When I first started cruelty-free blogging there was very few of us, and now there's a whole community.

What's your cruelty-free history? I'm gonna let this tag be open to anybody but specifically I'm gonna tag Hayley and Louise!